2.) We grow up talking and socializing, but it is English teachers who make us self-aware about English. They teach us how we can write, and more importantly, what to write. Alexander describes the use of writing as “ literacy narrative aim to define who were are and what we want to become as individuals and a community”. Writing is essential to growth, but many people hate it due to poor experiences. Many have been belittled in front of the class, worked so hard on an essay only to get a C or any other type of negative experience. This is why I believe people dislike the Discourse of English, bad experiences shape our image of English.
4.)The “child prodigy” in Alexander’s “cultural narrative” chart is one well familiar with. These are the students who have excelled in their students since preschool. They “excel in reading and writing from an early age and is put on display for others to see his or her brilliance”. I chose this cultural narrative because I know many of these “prodigies”. Honestly, I feel bad for them. They never got to learn it is okay to get a bad grade. Ever test they have panic attacks. What good is being smart if you don’t feel good about it? I really dislike the “victim” cultural narrative. I don’t understand how one experience with literacy “takes the fun out”. We read every day, we read both good and bad news, read letters from our grandparents, we read every single day. How can someone possibly dislike reading when it is an action necessary to survive?
6.) “Hero and rebel” are two of the biggest cultural narratives that are influenced by teachers. The “hero” cultural narrative talks about their enlightening experience with literacy, how it shaped their lives, while the “rebel” narrative talks about how much they hate literacy. Teachers, especially in the earlier stages, can “make it or break it for a student”.
